Recently, I had the opportunity to test drive a Mazda 3i Grand Touring 4-door car.
I always like testing out new cars, and I was excited about this one, since it gets great gas mileage - 28 MPG in the city and 40 MPG on the highway. We drive a lot since we live about 20 minutes from everything (it seems), so fuel efficiency is a big plus for us.
The reason that Mazda is able to provide such a high fuel efficiency is because of their new SkyActiv technology. They completely redesigned the engine, transmission, and body to make the car more fuel efficient.
Besides the fuel efficiency, my other favorite feature is the Blind Spot Monitoring System. Basically, there's a light on each of your side mirrors that lights up if there is a car located in your blind spot. And, if you have your turn signal on and there are cars in the detection area, the car will chime to warn you. I always check my blind spots, but I thought this was a great added safety feature.
Additional Features:
- Bluetooth Hands-Free system - connect your phone via Bluetooth to make and receive calls through the stereo system
- iPod Auxiliary Jack - play your iPod through the stereo system
- Navigation System - you can use the GPS with steering wheel controls. It is not touch-screen, so I found it a little more difficult to use. However, I thought it was interesting that you can not make changes to the GPS while driving - it just beeps at you and keeps you focused on the road.
All in all, I thought this was a nice car, and I really liked the fuel efficiency (and less fuel costs).
If you would like to test drive a Mazda 3i and/or have a dealer contact you with their best deal, you can register and select competing dealers.
The version of the Mazda 3i Grand Touring 4-door car that I drove has a base price of $22,300 and included options for a total of $24,970.
Have you ever driven or been in a Mazda 3? What do you think?
Disclosure: Mazda provided the car for me to drive for a week with no charge to me. I did not receive any compensation. And, as usual, the opinions are all mine!
Leave a Reply